Beginner's Guide to Coffee Bean Selection: How to Choose Coffee Beans for Pour-Over Coffee

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1. What type of coffee equipment do you use to brew coffee?

It's best to tell the staff which brewing method you use. This way, they can recommend suitable beginner coffee beans specifically for you. Additionally, you might exchange usage experiences with the staff.

2. Your preferred coffee flavor

Describe to the staff what kind of coffee flavor you like. There's no need to be as professional as a professional coffee taster—keep it relaxed. For example, mention if you prefer a stronger taste or a more acidic flavor. This way, the staff can recommend the most suitable coffee based on their shop's flavor characteristics.

3. Understand the flavor of coffee beans before purchasing

Although coffee beans themselves have distinct regional characteristics, during the roasting process, the roaster might adjust them according to their understanding of coffee flavor. The final taste can present diverse aspects for the same coffee. Before purchasing, understanding the flavor of coffee beans might help you comprehend why the same coffee beans bought from different places can have different tastes.

4. Learn to ask for the roasting date of coffee beans

As a food product, coffee beans naturally have indicators like "freshness period." Coffee beans are similar to seafood—the fresher, the better. The indicator for judging freshness is the "roasting date." It's recommended to buy coffee beans within two weeks of their roasting date. Because different coffee beans and different roasting degrees will affect the optimal drinking period.

For example, medium-dark roasted coffee beans, due to their heavier smoky and fiery flavors, are best enjoyed after resting for seven days, with optimal flavor two weeks later; lightly roasted coffee beans can be enjoyed two to three days after roasting, with optimal flavor one week later, allowing you to experience the flavor changes of the beans. Both are best consumed within one month. After bringing them home, you can write the roasting date on the packaging with a marker to help track the beans' freshness.

However, many people report that coffee tastes good when sampled in-store but doesn't taste as good when brewed at home. This might be influenced by several factors: first, the particle uniformity differs between home grinders and commercial grinders, especially the distinction between manual and electric grinders—manual grinders can't achieve the same uniformity and fineness as electric ones.

Additionally, some coffee shops might use water quality that is relatively superior to household water quality; third is materials—different price ranges of espresso machines have different pressure and stability indices, all of which can affect the result. Similarly, for pour-over coffee, the material of the filter cup, the material of the pour-over kettle... etc., will all have an impact.

5. Purchase whole coffee beans

Basically, shops provide free coffee grinding services—they can grind whole coffee beans into powder for customers at no charge. If you want to fully enjoy the aroma of a cup of coffee, it's recommended to purchase whole coffee beans (Whole Bean).

The most enticing aspect of coffee is its aroma. In the life of coffee, if we were to rank "moments when aroma is most intensely released," the grinding process would definitely be on the list, even ranking in the top three. Additionally, from a preservation perspective, whole coffee beans have much more vitality than coffee powder—whole beans can maintain their aroma for a longer time.

If you drink coffee regularly, why not purchase a coffee grinder yourself—manual or electric both work? You can enjoy the fun of preparation while better experiencing coffee aroma and flavor. Why not do it?

Beginner Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's roasted beginner coffee beans—Yirgacheffe coffee, Panama Geisha coffee, Indonesian Mandheling coffee, etc.—all have full guarantees in terms of brand and quality. More importantly, they offer extremely high value for money. A half-pound (227g) package costs only around 80-90 RMB. Calculating based on 15g of powder per cup of pour-over coffee, one package can make 15 cups of coffee, with each single-origin coffee costing only about 6 RMB. Compared to café prices that often reach dozens of RMB per cup, this offers exceptional value.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find both famous and lesser-known beans. They also provide online shop services: https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473